a beautiful f r e e d o m
by CraziiJaney
Summary: Even though I'll miss you... And even though I'll never see you in this world ever again...I have this thing called hope. So yeah, we'll meet again, somehow, on some sunny day. [SoraxRiku friendship]
1. According to the News

**Author's Note:** Hello all. This is my little story to cleanse myself of my icky feelings. After all, who wants to feel sad? My friend died a couple of days ago and I just wanted to write out what happened. My own little catharsis, you know? So, review please, and enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** If so, I'd be rich. But maids aren't cleaning my socks for me yet, so I don't think so.

* * *

Riku sits on his plush, carpeted floor, watching TV and wasting the day away. Miscellaneous objects are scattered about the floor and he unwittingly keeps on banging his various appendages against them. Languidly, he picks up the onyx remote and begins to flip the channels. 

He then remembers a paper he has to turn in by tomorrow for Professor Valentine's Russian literature class. Hitting himself firmly on the head, Riku silently curses at himself for forgetting such a thing.

Muttering vividly, he decides that there's still time to write an essay and another hour of TV won't hurt him.

Too much.

Riku flips to TTW news and lethargically begins to devour an orange. Vaguely wondering what Sora's doing, he contemplates whether if he should call him. After all, it's been about a month since he last saw him away from his college. He ruminates if whether applying to a separate college was very astute of him, as he never gets to see his old friends and the staggering amount of homework is starting to take a toll on the frustrated student. Even if he wouldn't let them know it, Riku was missing his friends.

His eyes linger on the glowing screen, taking in only half of what the droning newscasters say. Riku's nervous fingers touch the paperback Russian literature, vainly willing its master to read it.

"Thanks for that bit Bill; I sure know what to do with my ponchos from now on!" A cheesy faux smile is plastered on the newscasters face as she delivers the afternoon news.

Picking up the remote again, he sighs. There's nothing on TV to stop him from starting the paper. Thus, Riku glares at the immobile laptop that's next to him, wishing it a violent and painful death.

His slender fingers are just about to push the spongy _off_ button when Riku glimpses something that piques his interest.

"Next on TTW news, a group of college students who were visiting the mall were killed when their car slammed into a cement pillar. More on this news will be by John. John?"

"Yes, Sandy. 10:42 last night, twenty-one year olds, Sora Irino, Kairi Uchida, and a twenty year old Selphie Tilmitt were killed when they allegedly crashed into a large cement pillar on Main Avenue."

Riku stands still, his back rigid and his face stiff. His pumping heart lurches in his chest and the words fly by him in a swift flurry.

"They were said to have driving back to their college, University of Twilight, when they allegedly swerved to avoid another driver and hit the pillar. From the medical examiner, Sora Uchida was said to be driving the car and died immediately from the impact. The two women in the passenger and back seat died from the noxious fumes emitted from the demolished car. No alcohol was found to be apparent in their systems."

He blinks his cobalt eyes; they could be deceiving him. Staring at the screen, Riku views a picture of Sora being shown. He notices that it's Sora's old high school picture, back when he had a gawkier look to him. A short of Sora's wailing mother is exposed on the blatant news.

_What? _

Riku's mind is numb. Its cogs work furiously to absorb the images he's just seen and his rigid fingers clench the book, ripping into its pliable paper.

The newscasters smile is back, splashed across her tan face, the somber appearance cast away for more joyous information. Like she's forgotten that someone has died. Someone important to _him_.

This can't be happening.

People die on the news. They vanish from the world in tragic deaths unbeknownst to him.

But these things don't happen to people like Riku.

They happen to others, people he doesn't know.

But not to him.

And definitely not to Sora.


	2. Ignoring the Ironic Truth

**Author's Note:** Wow, a chapter fic. I haven't written a chapter fic in a long time. Yay! Well, enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer:** It would be cool if Riku was a real person...

* * *

The next day runs past Riku, swift as a flurry of feathers.

Through his classes, while he listens to his other friends chat peacefully, even as he's engrossed in his studies; Riku hears the pumping blood in his head and heart. He can feel his chest aching and his stomach numb.

_"_It's probably not him." he murmurs and Riku convinces himself that it was probably a misprint.

"It-it's probably another guy that looks like Sora, with the same name. There're tons of Soras out there..."

He shuts his eyes and plugs his ears. He ignores the truth and tries to look on to other things. Nothing happened, nothing at all.

But in the end, in the quiet corners of his mind, he knows.

He knows it wasn't a misprint.

He knows it was the right Sora.

And that's why he musters up the strength to go to his funeral.

Riku gets the letter in his mailbox that day. The invitation states in gold flowing letters that the funeral will be at Sora's old church, the day after tomorrow.

His body trembles slightly, the ivory paper quivering in his hands. The _feelings_ start to rush at Riku again like a torrent of water. He blinks and fights back the tears madly.

But he has to go, no matter what he feels.

- - -

Riku is staring.

He's staring at a convenience store, blinded by the memories of his childhood friend.

Sora had always loved those stores. No matter how much they'd rip you off, they were always there with the things you needed. Something you can trust, no matter what the price was...and they had everything.

That's what he always said.

Riku stares, ignoring the people who stroll in and out of the store nonchalantly, without a care in the world. He closes his aquamarine eyes and breathes in the crisp morning air, perfumed slightly with the scent of the last traces of winter snow.

Braving the rush and the tears, he walks steadily into the store.

The silver haired boy walks about casually, looking around the familiar sights of the shelves. He notices the first aisle stocked with first aid kits, shampoos, and hair dye products. He remembers when they had gone to look for hair dye for Kairi, who said that she "Wanted a change."

In the end, Sora and Riku had managed to persuade her not to dye her hair platinum blonde.

Breathing faster, his heart thumps loudly against his chest, and the blood pumps in his ears. Riku furiously struggles to conquer the numb feeling in his stomach.

But the remembrances start to overcome him.

And Riku can't afford to lose himself; because he knows that if he crosses that line, the line where you hold your composure or you lose it, it's over.

And composure is everything.

So Riku sprints out of the store, screwing his watery eyes tightly closed. When he reaches the cool air of early spring, his breath shudders... and he quickly plasters a neutral look on his face.

Hey, nothing happened, so why cry?


	3. Some Sunny Day

**Author's Note:** Hiyas! This was in fact, rushed and done to the point of instant crappyness. So, yeah, it's not that great. I just needed it to be over, a quick 3 chappie. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I like cheese.

* * *

Riku sits perfectly still, his silver hair rustling quietly every so often. His back is rigid and his face soft with lassitude. The day's bright and sunlit and clean: a quixotically perfect day. 

Riku observes the black suit laid before him on his ivory bed and flinches internally. Closing his sapphire eyes, Riku hoarsely sighs and clenches his fist.

It's not the end of the world. It can't be.

So Riku unclenches his arms, opens his eyes, and lifts the silky suit in his slender hands. The black fabric is heavy on his arms as he silently slides on the jacket, piece by piece. He smoothes the lapel to remove the crinkles and closes his eyes, just one more time.

He can do this.

Riku forces his eyes open and walks out the door. The brisk air contrasts against the bright sun whilst he slides into his car, his morose suit stiffening his moves.

- - -

"Here, Riku...your tie's crooked." Aerith sniffs quietly, her eyes red and swollen. Here auburn hair is loose around her shoulders and she wears a black dress with a raven scarf that Kairi had once given her. Riku looks away as Aerith adjusts his tie. He can see the throngs of people who have come, looking more like a black mass than people themselves.

"Hey man..." Leon strides up to Riku, "If you need anything..." His voice trails off and the brunette looks at him somberly.

"Yeah... it's ok..." Riku croaks, his starlight hair shadowing aqua eyes. He can't do this, can't believe that this' actually happening. It's not..._real_ enough. Riku turns and paces into the church. Masses of flowers intoxicate the air with heavy pollen and a dense fragrance. He notices that sunflowers are scattered about the church.

_Sora's favorite..._

_"Hey Riku, you know what? If I ever die before you do, put sunflowers near me. You know, at my funeral. That way, there can be something happy near all the sad people to cheer them up. I don't want them to be too gloomy. I mean, I want my funeral to be happy." _

- - -

An hour later, they had moved the funeral to the cemetery where Sora would be buried.

The speaker speaks aimlessly about Sora's unending strength and bravery. Riku mechanically watches the speaker as the flowers' thick fumes waft about the man and release into the cool air, making every other person cough gently.

Riku fidgets silently, his feet aching from the hard leather. The square of dug out earth holds the oak casket.

Sora's younger sister, Sayuri, walks up to the stand.

"...this is my first time dealing with a death. And..."

Riku's heart lurches and he waits...waits for this to be over. He wants to go back, go back to his life before and pretend like this never happened.

But...he can't do that, can he?

Because no matter how much you plug your ears and close your eyes to the world, you never forget. The emptiness is still there, the hollow space in your heart where that person used to occupy.

"His...last words to me were, 'I'll see you later.' That was when he went back to college. And, I think I will. I'll see him later. Only...it'll be in heaven."

Sayuri finishes and Riku can see her hold her breath.

It's the same feeling. She feels it too, everyone does.

- - -

He was released into the cold morning air after they buried Sora. Riku notices the golden sun shining on his face and black lapel. Even through the cold air, he feels the warmth of the sun.

Seeing a flock of birds fly across the azure sky, Riku suddenly smiles.

...yeah, he **will** see Sora later.

Even though he'll miss him and even when he realizes that he'll never see Sora in _this_ world ever again, Riku knows that he'll see Sora again, somehow. And Sora will be there, waiting and watching over his friends and himself.

He has hope.

- - -

_We'll meet again,_

_Don't know where,_

_Don't know when,_

_But I know we'll meet again_

_Some sunny day_

_- - -_

_

* * *

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**Author's Note:** Oh yes, the ending quote is from "London Calling" by Edward Bloor.

Review!


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